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Noticing How You are Sitting

I
used to be a “mind over body” kind of person. It’s a common sentiment in
Western culture – Cartesian “I think, therefore I am” kind of stuff. The body
is secondary to the mind. Mantras of "no pain no gain".

As
difficult as it is for my economist brain to admit, there is substantial wisdom
in the body if we'd only pay attention.

An
easy place to start is by paying attention to the little aches and pains that
you have trained yourself to ignore. You think you’re ignoring them
(with your brain) but your body is actually spending quite a bit of energy
sending signals to your brain that something needs attention.

You
can spend a lifetime exploring the research and practices related to the
mind-body connection ... but you can also simply start with a quick 2 minute
check in.

Notice How You’re Sitting

Describe
your current posture.

Today,
I'm sitting at my home office desk and writing on my laptop computer. I’m
leaned back a bit in the chair. I feel some pressure under each of my wrists as
I type. My feet are propped up on a foot rest. I'm fairly symmetric in my
posture at the moment. That’s not always the case - earlier today I caught myself
leaning on one elbow, biting my thumb as I was thinking.

Take a Mental Scan of Your Body

Starting
from your toes and working your way up. How does each part of your body feel
this very moment?

My
feet are a little fatigued - I’m wearing boots I haven’t worn in a
while. Calves seem a little restless. No signals from my knees, thighs,
glutes. At my lower back I start to notice some tension. I feel some
tension along my spine, too, especially on the right side. And I can feel
the on-again-off-again knot in my right upper back. Hands are fine. Wrists are
a little bit hot from taking the pressure of my arms. Arms are
fine. My neck is a little tense. I notice I’m unconsciously clenching my
jaw slightly.

What Next?

Noticing
is always the first step. After that, it’s up to you if you want to act on
any of the intel you’ve gathered.

I
feel drawn to sit up and lean forward. To do a few shoulder rolls. To stretch
my arms out and to do a few wrist rolls. Maybe some neck rolls. I also feel
like getting up and walking around for a little bit. I'll go get a glass of
water.

_ _
_ _ _ _ _

Ahhh.
That was so simple yet I feel so much better. It took just minutes and I feel
quite different sitting here, even though I thought I felt fine before.

I
encourage you to try this practice a few times a day (once an hour would be
great!) to start tapping into the signals your body is sending you.